Why marine protected areas are essential for Scotland’s traditional fishing industry

The SNP government didn’t even mention the sea in its recent Programme for Government

The day before David Attenborough’s film Ocean was released in cinemas worldwide, an extraordinary exchange took place in the Scottish parliament. MSPs Fergus Ewing and Jackson Carlaw agreed that the Scottish fishing fleet had been severely depleted by “over-regulation”. Ewing also cited “the influence of NGOs” (non-governmental organisations).

In reality, the long decline of Scotland’s traditional coastal fishing fleet stems not from environmental regulation, but from a lack of fish.

It can be traced back to policy decisions that have favoured industrial fishing methods over traditional, low-impact practices, allowing bottom trawlers and scallop dredgers to operate close to shore, leading to the degradation of vital spawning and nursery habitats. This shift resulted in the collapse of local fish stocks and the marginalisation of small-scale fishers.

READ MORE: UK EU fishing deal: 12-year agreement branded 'biggest act of betrayal' to Scottish fishermen

David Attenborough and King Charles at the recent premiere of the film 'Ocean with David Attenborough' (Picture: Alistair Grant) | PA

‘Protected’ on paper

Neither Ewing nor Carlaw is currently a government minister. But the narrative that pits environmental protection against the economic survival of fishing communities could be behind the total absence of marine nature protection from John Swinney’s Programme for Government.

Scotland has, on paper, a network of marine protected areas, designated since 2014. The Scottish Government is required by law to design and implement protections for each area, which in many cases will mean restricting bottom trawling and dredging while allowing small-scale, lower impact fishing to continue. Yet these measures have been delayed again and again, leaving our marine ‘protected’ areas largely unprotected.

Since winning the last Holyrood election in 2021, the current Scottish Government has repeatedly promised to get these crucial protections in place. Its first Programme for Government, in September that year, committed to getting the job done by March 2024 at the latest. Marine protected areas also featured in 2023 and 2024.

Incredibly rich in marine life

Then in 2025 – nothing. The sea doesn’t even get a mention in the environment section of this year’s flagship policy announcement. To be fair to the government, it has completed the statutory public consultation on protections for offshore marine protected areas – those between 12 and 200 nautical miles from the shore.

But it hasn’t even consulted yet on measures for inshore areas – those with 12 nautical miles of the coast. These waters are where most of Scotland’s fishing fleet operates. They are incredibly rich in marine life, and they include the spawning and nursery habitats that are vital for fish stocks – and for fishing.

Both sets of marine protected areas desperately need protection. To this day, destructive bottom-towed fishing methods including trawling are permitted in most of them, devastating fragile habitats like maerl beds and flame-shell reefs where many fish breed and grow to maturity. There is also evidence that disturbing the seabed releases stored carbon, exacerbating climate change.

More protection, more fish

Attenborough’s film makes it clear that saving the sea is vital to saving the planet. But getting the long-delayed fisheries management measures in place in our marine protected areas is not only a crucial step towards restoring our seas to health, it’s essential for the future of Scotland’s small-scale inshore fishing industry.

More protection means more fish, means more local, sustainable jobs. The idea that protecting and restoring our seas and supporting the future of fishing are opposing interests holds no water. Instead of delays and silence from the Scottish Government, we need accountability and action.

Esther Brooker is marine policy officer at Scottish Environment Link